The New York State Smart Grid Consortium (NYSSGC), a public-private partnership devoted to statewide implementation of the smart grid, has praised Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plans to rebuild and modernize New York City's infrastructure, as outlined by the recent Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR).

SIRR calls for comprehensive collaboration with the state's utilities to improve city-wide building infrastructure and develop a smart grid that can monitor the system before, during and after major weather events.

“We applaud Mayor Bloomberg for his leadership and imagination in devising solutions that will address broad infrastructure issues that impact the lives of all New Yorkers,” says James T. Gallagher, NYSSGC executive director. “As a diverse coalition of utilities, technology providers, policymakers and universities, we will work closely with the task force to support the mayor’s vision by facilitating innovative smart grid projects that leverage the latest cutting-edge technologies.”

As New York continues to recover from Superstorm Sandy, the organization says the use of the latest smart grid technologies will play a critical role in modernizing New York’s energy infrastructure and to bring tangible benefits to ratepayers.

As noted in the utilities section of the SIRR report, the NYSSGC says it will partner with the city and task force on several major initiatives, including the following:

- Improve situational awareness: The NYSSGC leadership will work with its members on the development, testing and deployment of sensors and other new technologies to improve system monitoring and situational awareness.

- Microgrid projects: The consortium says it will collaborate with its membership broadly, including the utilities, technology providers, building owners, universities, and state and local governments, to identify and facilitate innovative microgrid projects intended to improve system reliability and resiliency.

Months after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its Clean Power Plan, which will create new regulations for existing power plants, the agency says it has received loads of feedback to consider.